Accidents lead to the deaths of two UB students

Two UB students died in June in unrelated accidents.

On June 2, Rajan Verma, a 28-year-old first-year UB medical resident died in an accident at the Tralf Music Hall in downtown Buffalo. On June 13, Jade (Yu Hua) Qiu was crossing Millersport Highway at Flint Road when she was hit by a car.

Both incidents occurred after UB held a memorial for 16 students who died in 2013 and 2014. UB holds memorial events for students annually.

Qiu just finished her freshman year at UB and was studying chemical engineering. She was from Brooklyn and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 2013.

Diane Tsang, who went to high school with Qiu and had known her since the seventh grade, remembers her friend as patient, generous and loyal. The two remained in touch after going off to UB and Cornell University, respectively.

Tsang said the two had the same perspectives on life.

“She didn’t take life seriously in the sense that she enjoyed life and always had a lot of fun,” Tsang said. “She was always a very happy person to be around.”

Qiu was crossing Millersport Highway at Flint Road when Daniel Kepple, 48, of Buffalo crashed his pickup truck with an attached trailer into a car driven by Aujonee Smith, 20, of Amherst. Smith’s car spun out of control and struck Qiu, according to The Buffalo News. Two other vehicles were hit as a result of the crash.

After she was hit, Qui was rushed to Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital and then flown by Mercy Flight to Erie County Medical Center. She died the next morning from her injuries.

Verma was leaving a concert at Tralf Music Hall when he fell. He was found at the bottom of a staircase.

Originally from Elizabeth, New Jersey, Verma graduated with a degree in biology from St. John’s University in New York City in 2008 before going on to medical school at the American University of Antigua. Verma was enrolled in an organized education program at UB, where he was able to see patients under faculty supervision.

Verma spoke two languages: English and Punjabi – a native language of India and Pakistan – and he was a fan of Yankees, Nets and Devils, according to his Facebook page.

A funeral was held for Verma in the afternoon on Friday, June 6 by his family and friends in Franklin Memorial Park in North Brunswick, New Jersey.

Officials from UB’s medical school offered their condolences to Verma’s friends and family.

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